Holding a low-grade Evolution Stone in his hand, Reiji figured that mid-grade Fire Stone from earlier had probably been the peak of his luck.
He wondered if rarer stones existed here—Moon Stones, Dusk Stones, things like that.
Aside from the seven stones he'd already found, he came across a stretch of sandy ground rich in Heat Rock material. Plenty of Trainers had their Rock-type Pokémon digging into the sand and eating the minerals.
It wasn't just Trainers. He saw trucks hauling away tons of sand, likely to refine it into Heat Rocks.
Whether the workers had League approval or were paying taxes wasn't his concern. With trucks and heavy machinery operating openly, they probably had permits. No one mined this openly without them.
Reiji didn't care enough to look into it. He turned away with Poliwhirl. Hanhan had tried eating this kind of material before—too many impurities, not worth it compared to proper ore.
He had already covered most of the mountain's base and was about to head uphill when Darkrai stopped him.
"Wait. There's a strong heat source under that pile of sand. It might be a powerful Evolution Stone."
Reiji turned back toward the mining site. Even if that was true, getting it wouldn't be easy with so many people around.
He moved away from the crowd, circling to a quieter section above the mining zone, then sent Gengar underground to check.
Given the heat and the terrain, he suspected a high-grade Fire Stone. He even pulled out a storage box, ready to secure it.
A moment later, Gengar emerged from the shadows and spat out an irregular orange-red stone. It wasn't translucent like a Fire Stone—it looked completely different.
"Did I guess wrong?"
Reiji reached out to touch it. The panel popped up immediately.
[Sun Stone: A mysterious stone that can evolve certain Pokémon. Burns with a red glow like the sun. (Purity: 72.23%)]
"A Sun Stone."
He pulled his hand back instantly. The surface was scorching hot—just a brief touch had already reddened his skin.
"Geh… geh…"
Gengar stuck out its tongue from the shadows, clearly overheated.
"It says it's extremely hot down there," Darkrai translated.
"Hot, huh… Does that mean there's a higher concentration of Heat Rock material below?"
Reiji released Hanhan and had Gengar guide it underground to the same spot. If the concentration was high enough, Hanhan could fill up before coming back.
"Got it, Rhydon?"
"Raaah!"
Rhydon licked its lips and immediately began drilling into the ground with Drill Run, eager to get started.
Reiji didn't bother watching them. He put on gloves and carefully placed the Sun Stone into a stone case, sealing it shut. Only then did the heat around him ease slightly.
Without Gengar nearby and after handling the Sun Stone, he was already sweating heavily. He had to wait there for half an hour before anything happened.
Gengar surfaced first, bringing three orange-yellow stones.
"More?" Reiji asked, surprised.
"There are more. The Sun Stone's energy masked them earlier. I didn't notice," Darkrai said, equally surprised.
"Any left down there?"
"Two more."
Darkrai signaled Gengar to go again.
"Geh…"
Gengar looked miserable, tongue hanging out from the heat.
"Go on. When you get back, you can have something cold," Reiji said. He had a portable mini fridge stored inside Gengar—full of drinks and food.
Gengar sighed and dove back underground.
Not long after, the ground rumbled. Rhydon burst out, patting its belly and letting out a loud burp that carried a wave of heat.
"Done? Then get back."
Reiji rubbed his forehead and recalled Rhydon. If it was full, fine—but he didn't need it blowing hot air at him.
A short while later, Gengar returned again, this time with two Sun Stones—one mid-grade, one low-grade.
"Grab whatever you want from the fridge," Reiji said, packing the stones away as he left the mining area.
This trip had paid off. That high-grade Sun Stone alone was worth over ten million.
If he kept going, he might close another hundred million or two of his funding gap.
This place really was a goldmine.
As he headed uphill, Gengar popped the fridge out of its body, grabbed a chilled soda, then swallowed the fridge again. It ran on batteries, so it worked even without power.
Behind them, the workers and Trainers who had fled earlier began returning. The tremor from before had scared them off—they thought it was a landslide or cave-in.
Luckily, the shaking had stopped quickly. And since it was an open-pit site, it was relatively safe as long as the upper layers were cleared.
Reiji ignored the commotion and kept climbing.
Soon, Darkrai detected another stone. Gengar retrieved it—just a low-grade Leaf Stone.
Most of the stones he found were low-grade. Clearly, he wasn't the only one searching this mountain.
High-grade stones gave off strong energy. They'd have been found and taken already—either by Trainers or by wild Pokémon.
What remained were the weak ones, barely detectable.
But his scout was Darkrai. Compared to ordinary Pokémon, it was on a completely different level.
Most people used regular Pokémon for this kind of work. Using a mythical Pokémon like Darkrai to prospect… even Reiji had to admit it was overkill.
He kept moving, digging as he went. By the time he reached halfway up the mountain, it was noon. He'd picked up four more low-grade stones.
At that point, he was exhausted. But Darkrai said it had detected another stone.
When he reached the location, he found a lake nestled in a hollow on the mountainside, about a hundred meters across. Water from above flowed into it, then spilled out into a stream below.
Plenty of Ground- and Rock-type Pokémon were gathered there to drink.
He spotted Diglett among them.
But now wasn't the time.
He looked up at the towering peak. Snow still covered the summit, so the lake likely came from meltwater.
"It's at the bottom," Darkrai said after scanning the area.
"Gengar, one more trip. We'll eat after."
Reiji sat by the lake, scooping water over himself to cool down.
Gengar didn't complain this time. It simply dove straight in.
Reiji used the break to set up lunch, pulling out cooking gear and preparing food for both himself and his Pokémon.
By the time he finished, Gengar resurfaced and spat out a deep blue stone.
A Water Stone.
He picked it up. Mid-grade.
Not bad.
Gengar also brought up weeds and small rocks from the lakebed. Reiji barely glanced at them before turning back—
Then something caught his eye.
A flash of reflected light.
He paused, turned back, and examined the pile more closely. Something among the stones was glinting.
He told his Pokémon to start eating and crouched down.
It was a leather wristband.
But the moment he picked it up, it crumbled. The leather had soaked too long—brittle and fragile.
What remained was a small, glass-like bead with blue and yellow patterns inside.
Reiji froze.
"…A Mega Stone? What is this doing here?"
[Mega Stone: Resonates with a Trainer's Key Stone, allowing a Pokémon holding it to Mega Evolve (Sharpedo)]
He stared at it, stunned.
Sharpedo's Mega Stone.
Found in a place like this.
And clearly one that had once belonged to someone.
Evolution Mountain wasn't truly inland—it sat between the Safari Zone and Cinnabar Island. Close enough to the sea.
That explained the marine fossils at the base.
Maybe this place had once been ocean.
Mega Stones weren't modern anyway. They existed in ancient times—ruins had proven that.
Kanto likely had a gap in knowledge. Mega Evolution was barely understood here, mostly uncovered through archaeology. The only place with a proper tradition was far-off Kalos.
So this stone…
It had to be ancient.
Carried here by the sea, or left behind long ago.
Reiji looked at Gengar. "Did you bring this up with the Water Stone?"
"Geh." Gengar nodded.
"Then that explains it."
The Mega Stone must have influenced the surrounding rock over time, infusing it with Water-type energy until it formed a Water Stone.
"Darkrai, can you detect these?" Reiji asked, tossing the stone over.
"Only faintly. It barely gives off any energy unless you're close," Darkrai said.
"Right. It needs to be activated," Reiji said, taking it back.
Unactivated Mega Stones were almost impossible to detect.
Even weaker than low-grade Evolution Stones.
Finding one was pure luck.
Which made his situation… strange.
He'd found two Mega Stones since coming here.
And couldn't use either.
This one, at least, had a future use. Once he returned to the Orange Archipelago, he could catch a Carvanha and evolve it into Sharpedo.
At least he'd get to try Mega Evolution again.
If only it had been a Gyarados Mega Stone.
He packed it away and returned to his meal.
By early afternoon, the heat became unbearable. Even Poliwhirl and the others soaked themselves in the lake to cool off.
Reiji had Kingler dig a shaded cave and took shelter there, sipping cold drinks from the fridge.
Around four, he came back out, recalled his Pokémon, and continued searching with Poliwhirl at his side.
As he moved across the mountain, Darkrai guided him from one stone to the next.
At the same time, he gathered firewood.
He wasn't heading back down tonight.
He planned to stay here for several days.
After all, this place was practically printing money.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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